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A review by lizaroo71
Gather The Daughters by Jennie Melamed
3.0
Talk about a book to read while the Me Too movement is happening. Wow. This is intense. I am not sure I understand completely the reasons behind the decisions of the community on this island, but I found it compelling and kept reading.
The narrative is told in rotating characters (all female) that are about to reach what is called "fruition" on this island in post-apocalyptic America. Women are definitely the subjugated sex here and while the details are not graphic, you get enough hints to understand what is happening and shudder.
The backbone of the plot is that the girls are lead in an uprising by frail Janey who refuses to eat in an effort to stave off getting her menstrual cycle. The girls want a voice and a choice about what happens to their bodies and Janey is using the only power that she has available to her: food.
I need to stew on this one a bit more, but I liked the characters (when I could keep track of them - that took a few pages to follow) and I found the world she built unbelievable in that we are not given too much of what is behind the curtain, but just enough to fill in the details.
The narrative is told in rotating characters (all female) that are about to reach what is called "fruition" on this island in post-apocalyptic America. Women are definitely the subjugated sex here and while the details are not graphic, you get enough hints to understand what is happening and shudder.
The backbone of the plot is that the girls are lead in an uprising by frail Janey who refuses to eat in an effort to stave off getting her menstrual cycle. The girls want a voice and a choice about what happens to their bodies and Janey is using the only power that she has available to her: food.
I need to stew on this one a bit more, but I liked the characters (when I could keep track of them - that took a few pages to follow) and I found the world she built unbelievable in that we are not given too much of what is behind the curtain, but just enough to fill in the details.